Wood floor



Feb. 4, 1936'. F E BRUCE 2,029,808

WOOD FLOOR Filed Sept. 1o, 1954 NAB :lume/Wto@ ffurzaae Patented F eb.v 4, 1936 PATENT OFFICE WOOD FLOOR Frank E. Bruce, Memphis, Tenn., assgnor to E. L.

Bruce Company, Memphis, Tenn., a corporation of Delaware Application September 10, 1934, Serial No. 743,459

6 Claims.

My invention relates to a wood floor laid in mastic, of the type disclosed in thepatent to Gray, No. 1,925,068, dated August 29, 1933, and has for its object controlling undue` movement of the 5 iioor before the mastic has set sufficiently, and at the same time permitting expansion of the oor after the mastic has set. In iioors of the type referred to, a layer of substantially permanently plastic mastic is trowelled on the subfloor about 10 3% of an inch thick and then the Wood blocks are laid in this mastic. The mastic that is usually used is one with an asphalt base, cut back with a-volatile petroleum solvent to permit ease of spreading. The invention is also applicable for 15 use with a low melting point mastic that is applied in a warmed condition, without the use of a volatile solvent. In either case, it takes a certain amount of time for the mastic to set, through volatilization of the solvent or cooling of the mas- 20 tic, as well as other reactions. Until the mastic has set sufliciently, anyone walking on the floor, or other Weights placed on the floor may cause the blocks to slide out of place, in view'of the fact that the door can not be set-up close against 25 the wall due to the presence of the necessary expansion space. y

Referring to the drawing for a more complete disclosure of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a section transversely of the wall of a 30 room,

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2--2 of Fig. 2, Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 1 of a modiication,

Figs. 4 and 5 are sections of modifications. Over the hard subeor Ir which may be cncrete, is troweled the plastic mastic 2, about sa; o an inch thick and on the mastic, the blocks 3 are laid, usually with the grain of the wood in the strips 4 of adjacent blocks, at right angles to each 40 other. The blocks are tongued and grooved along theiredges for interengagement. To take care of expansion of the wood floor, due to moisture absorption, an expansion space 5 is left along the walls 6 of the room, which may extend under the 45 wood ground 1, above which is the wall plaster 8, and the base board 9. Into this expansion space, I pour hot liquid asphalt I of about 170 F. melting point, which will quickly solidify on cooling. After it has cooled and under the high pressure 50 of any slow movement of the floor due to moisture absorption, the joint will permit the floor to expand and thus avoid buckling of the floor which would take place in the absence of an expansion space. Various materials of a similar type to the 6I specl'ed asphalt may be used, the necessary requirement being that the material shall be suiioiently stii when` solidified at the time of installing so as to prevent slippage of the oor on the mastic but not so stiff but that it will slowly plastically yield under sustained pressure. The expansion space should not be completely filled, thu's allowing room for the asphalt to rise up in it as it is compressed. Where a mastic, of the composition disclosed in the Gray patent is used,

is partly or wholly spread into the expansion 10 space, the hot liquid asphalt will readily blend with it.

Where the wood oor is subject to excessive moisture condition from below the oor, it is the practice to lay over the concrete suboor, a two ply membrane Waterproofing II, Fig. 3, of alternate layers of coal tar pitch and tarred felt, which is brought up the wall at right angles for` several inches above the nished floor. In such a case, the expansion joint material is easily applied and on account'of its character has no tendency to rupture the waterproof membrane. After pouring of the asphalt joint, the shoe I2 is secured to the base board to cover the expansion space 5.

If the blocks 3 are laid adjoining a concrete or terrazzo floor I3, Fig. 4, which may be mopped with water, a metal shoe I4 covers the expansion space 2, and a strip of rubber I5 will prevent the water from seeping into the expansion area.

The expansion space 5 may be located under the threshold I6, Fig. 5, of a doorway between communicating rooms and the expansion joint material poured therein. The same construction may be used at various intermediate points in the oor area, where the usual allowance for expansion at the wall lines is not sufficient to take care of normal expansion of the oor.

I claim:

1. A wood oor laid on a substantially permanently plastic mastic, an expansion space for the oor, an expansion joint, in the expansion space, of plastic material which is suiiciently sti at normal temperatures to hold the door from sliding out of place, and suiiiciently plastic to permit movement of the floor by flowing under the sustained pressure due to expansion of the wood from moisture absorption, the material of the expansion joint being substantially stiffer than the mastic in which the door is laid, under the con-l ditions of use in the floor.

2. A wood oor laid on a substantially permanently plastic mastic that is of troweling consistency at the. time the floor is laid 4and which requires a. period of time in order to set, an expansion space for the floor, an expansion joint, in

the expansion space, of plastic material which is f sumciently stii at normal temperatures to hold the floor from sliding out of place until the mastic has `set and sufficiently plastic to permit movement of the floor by owing under sustained pressure due to expansion of the wood from moisture absorption, th material -of the expansion joint being substantially stiier than the mastic in@ which the floor is laid, under the conditions of use in the nished oor. a

3. A wood iioor laid on a substantially permanently plastic mastic thatis of troweling consistency at the time the floor is laid and which requires a period of time in order to set, an expansion space for the floor, an expansion joint in the expansion space formed by pouring in the said space a. hot liquid material which is sufficiently stii at normal temperatures to hold the iloor from sliding out of place until the mastic has set and suiciently plastic to permit movement of the oor by owing under sustained pressure due to expansion of the wood from moisture absorption, the material of the expansion joint being substantially stiffer than the mastic in which the iloor is laid, under the conditions of use in the nishediloor. f

4. A Wood floor laid on a substantially permanently plastic asphaltic mastic that is of troweling consistency at the time the oor is laid and which requires a period of time in order to set, an expansion space for the oor, an expansionB joint in the expansion space formed by pouring in the said space hot liquid asphalt of a melting point high enough so that it will be suiliciently stii at normal temperatures to hold thefloor from sliding outof place until the mastic has set and suiiciently plastic to permit movement of the floor by flowing under sustained pressure due to expansion of the wood from moisture` absorption, the material of the` expansion joint in the expansion space formed by pouring in the said space hot liquid asphaltl having a melting point of about F. and which will be suieiently stii at normal temperatures to hold the floor from sliding out of ,place until the mastic has set and sufliciently plastic to permit movement of the oor by flowing under sustained pressure due to expansion of the wood from moisture absorption, the material of the expansion joint being substantially stiffer than the mastic in which the oor is laid, under the conditions of use in the nished floor.

6. A Wood iloor, a hard subfloor on which the woodl floor isv laid, a room wall, an expansion spaceA between the edge of the wood door and the wall, a sheet.of Waterproofing material on the suboor extending'over the expansion space and up alongside the Wall, a layer of substantially permanently plastic mastic spread over the Waterproong material and in which the wood iloor is laid and Which requires a period of time `in order to set, an expansion joint in the expansion space formed by pouring in the said space a hot liquid material which is suiiiciently stii at normal temperatures to hold the floor 'from sliding out of place and sumciently plastic to permit movement of the oor by ilowing under sustained pressure due to expansion of the Wood from moisture absorption, the material of the expansion joint being substantially stiller than the mastic in which the oor is laid, under the conditions of usenin the finished oor.

FRANK- E. BRUCE. 

